Neros receives order for 14,000 drones and explosive payloads after placing #1 in Close Quarters Battle and #3 in Deep Strike missions

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Neros has announced an order of 14,000 drones and explosive payloads through the Drone Dominance Program's Gauntlet II valued at over $100 million.

Through this award, the Department of War is prioritizing procurement of Archer AI, Neros' flagship autonomy-enabled 10" drone, built with Terminal Guidance functionality that allows the drone to fly itself to an operator-selected target, a critical feature in the comms-denied environments military operators face today. The department is also placing significant order volume for Archer 5" systems, Neros' smaller variant of Archer optimized for close quarters battle scenarios in urban and indoor settings.

"We've developed our Archer FPV system to be highly modular and easily adapted to end user needs. Pairing real warfighter feedback with our deep engineering talent is the reason Neros is the only manufacturer to have placed in the top three across two fundamentally different mission sets –deep strike and close quarters battle – with the same drone platform.

Ultimately, Drone Dominance is a test of two things: can competitors build high performance drones? And can they produce them in massive quantities with short notice? We're the only manufacturer to receive multiple bonus awards for Gauntlet I based on our delivery speed – and we're ready to fulfill this next batch of 14,000 drones, and more whenever the Department of War signals need for them."

— Soren Monroe-Anderson, CEO, Neros

In addition to this 14,000 drone order for Gauntlet II, Neros has received a second bonus order related to Gauntlet I for an additional 800 drones, reallocated from other competitors who could not meet the production deadline for their orders.

Gauntlet II also marks the first mass shipment of Neros APEX-enabled drones. APEX, short for Adaptive Payload Exchange, is an open-source and low cost standard for modular payload integration on small drones. Introduced by Neros, APEX is designed for simplicity, flexibility, and manufacturability – so that military operators can easily swap conventional, fiber, repeater, and future developed payloads in the field in real time.

About Neros

Neros Technologies designs and manufactures FPV drone systems for defense applications, and has major contracts with the Army, Marine Corps, as well as contracts with every component of SOCOM and half a dozen allied countries. They are rapidly scaling America's drone industrial base through a resilient, adversary-free supply chain.

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SOURCE Neros Technologies